Assembly comprising a cylindrical structure supported by a support structure

An assembly comprising a cylindrical superconducting magnet assembly supported by a cradle-shaped support structure having at least one support element, each of the at least one support element comprising:

• two outer partial cradle surfaces;
• one inner partial cradle surface joined by corresponding inner support struts, wherein circumferential extremities of the outer partial cradle surfaces subtend an angle β at an axis of the cylindrical superconducting magnet assembly, and the angle β is in a range 60°-180°;
• the inner support struts configured to hold the inner partial cradle surface and being relatively flexible in the vertical, radial direction, but relatively rigid in the horizontal, axial direction:
• and
• outer supports struts configured to hold the outer partial cradle surfaces and being relatively rigid in a vertical, substantially tangential, direction, but relatively flexible in a horizontal, axial direction,
• wherein, in response to a given force applied to an inner or outer support strut in a direction in which the inner or outer support strut is relatively flexible, a resultant displacement is greater by a factor x than a displacement resulting from application of the same given force to the same inner or outer support strut in a direction in which the inner or outer support strut is relatively rigid, and x is at least 2, and
• wherein vertical and horizontal loads are shear forces by respective partial cradle surfaces, which are substantially parallel to the direction of the respective load, such that vertical loads are in a direction substantially tangential to a cylindrical surface of the cylindrical superconducting magnet assembly, whereby vertical static loading is substantially taken by the outer partial cradle surfaces, and the superconducting magnet assembly is enclosed within a vacuum vessel.